Divider for flour mills



1935. w. J. MONTGOMERY ET AL 2,025,397

DIVIDER FOR FLOUR MILLS Filed June 5, 1932 INVENTORS WILLIAM J.MONTGOMERY DALLAS AUSTIN AND CHARLIg D. HOPSON ATTORNEY Patented Dec.24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,025,397 DIVIDER FOR FLOUR MILLSApplication June 3, 1932, Serial No. 615,072

1 Claim.

This invention relates to flour milling, and more especially to adivider to be used to divide streams of mill stock going to bolters,reels, rolls, etc., where equal distribution is necessary. It is adaptedfor use where two, three, four, five, or six divisions are necessary.

These and other objects, as suggested herebelow, are attained by themethod and means now to be described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view, partly inphantom, showing clearly the constructional details of the completelyassembled operative device which is the subject of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the invention, takenthrough the line 22 Fig. 1.

And Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the side discs used to convert athree way divider, for instance, into a six way one.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The device of Fig. 1 is essentially a three-way divider. It consists ofa housing having a center bottom opening and enclosing three containersor cups H), H, and i2, cylindrical in shape, and mounted side-by-sideand concentrically on a common shaft [3. The right hand cup l2discharges on the right side, the left hand cup It on the left side,(the similar opening being shown at I8) and. the center openings of cupll discharge from alternate compartments through openings 20 in everyother compartment into cup l0, and through openings 2| in every otheralternate compartment into cup l2.

These cups are separated by spaced discs l4 and i5, which together formcup I I. These, with the openings through the center, complete athree-way divider.

In order to convert such a divider into a sixway divider, it isnecessary to arrange for two discharges on each side in place of the oneshown. This is accomplished by placing discs I6, Fig. 3, on shaft l3just inside of the disc-like ends of housing ll. Discs iii are one-halfthe diameter of the double disc I4-l5, and arranged with sector-likecut-outs, as shown. These cut-outs are of course arranged to match thecups, and are timed to open and close at the proper time, so that one ofits openings, say 22, registers with opening l8 at one time, and theother 23, with the opposite opening to I8 (not shown).

One of the middle discharges is closed by placing a V-shaped cup at thehead, and the other tunnel 24 is permitted to go straight through anddischarge at the bottom. (See arrow). The discharge of the supportmember is out through the bottom through opening 25, which is normallyat the lowermost point.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cups are 4 inches wide at thetop, tapering to 2 inches at the bottom, and with square top and roundcorners. The discs I l-45 are set 4 inches apart, and the cups arefastened to the discs at right and left hand angles. 10

The discs are 18 inches in diameter, and the 4 outside walls are 18inches, allowing just enough clearance therebetween for the divider torotate. The outside or end walls are placed 3 inches from the side discsof the divider. The drive shaft of course goes through the center, asshown.

Discs it adjacent the side discharges of the divider have wing portionsbetween the cut-outs, as shown, and these close and open the dischargeholes of the hoppers Ill, I2, the inside discharge coming out at a lowerpoint.

This device divides a stream of mids or bake stock over sifter or rolls.All mills try to make a uniform stock, and to do that it is necessary tohave a uniform load on sifters and rolls, and this device does justthat. And it will-divide any number of ways from two to six inclusive inan equally positive manner. It takes practically no power to run; it canbe set at any spout angle to divide the stock coming through that spout;and takes up the small space of probably not to exceed 12x18 inches. Itneed not be placed on the floor or be anchored to anything, as isusually the case. In fact, it can be hung on the spout, providing oneend of the shaft is available vto drive from.

One of the hopper discharges is shown at I8, and the inlet of stockthrough member I9.

Rotatable cup i I, being keyed to shaft l3, may be moved to differentpositions by means of a crank (not shown) keyed to said shaft. Thus thematerial may be deflected at will through any of the three cups.

It is to be understood that the present dis closure is for the purposeof illustration only, and that the invention is not limited thereto. Tothose skilled in the art, many modifications of the invention will bereadily apparent, and it will also be obvious to such skilled personsthat part of the method and means may be used without other partsthereof, many such combinations of the parts readily suggestingthemselves. Therefore, it should be, and is to be distinctly understoodthat for a definition of the limitations '2 r 2,025,397 of theinvention, reference must be had to the and means for dischargingthrough the outer side,

appended claim. side openings from the center member to its Having nowdescribed the invention, what is side compartments, and cups in thecenter memclaimed as new and for which Letters Patent of ber openingrespectively in the housing and side 5 the United States is desired, is:members.

In a divider, a housing, a center opening in WILLIAM J. MONTGOMERY. thebottom thereof, a movable center member 1 DALLAS AUSTIN.

CHARLES D. HOPSON,

discharging through said center opening, a stationary side compartmenton each side thereof

